Poker Chips and Poker Games Blog

As a kid, I always was amazed when I saw the groups of people playing this strange board game with cool looking pieces and timers at the park. I had no idea what they were doing (and to be honest I’m not even sure now, haha) but I knew they were focused on what was in front of them. Some players would take their time but many would be moving so fast and hitting that timer button, it was hard to believe that they were making any sense at all..but chess players and their fans would get a gleam in their eye when they recall that “one” amazing move that won them the game..

Wanting to bring the future closer, some scientists have made it their mission to push A.I. (artificial intelligence) into reality and with the help of super computers they try their best to accomplish this. In 1997, an IBM Deep Blue supercomputer was able to defeat the most dominant world champion in history..Garry Kasparov. Everyone believed that was the beginning of the end for chess, but even today in 2010..the development is still going on.

Garry Kasparov believes that we haven’t come far since those days. Basically he mentions that we’ve achieved what could be the highest level of computing in chess…not because technology is not improving but because simple brute force techniques are what works so why create a computer that can “out think” a human when basically it can steamroll over them! (read his quotes here)

What does he suggest to move to the next level? Teach a computer to play poker!

While chess is a 100 percent information game — both players are aware of all the data all the time — and therefore directly susceptible to computing power, poker has hidden cards and variable stakes, creating critical roles for chance, bluffing, and risk management

I personally don’t believe a computer can guess what a person is doing especially with all the odds involved with poker. Even if a computer successful computes all the given variables, can it know what to do when a player places a high bet with supposedly poor odds. Poker players know in the real world, this happens and can a computer factor this is? It may be possible but it’s probably along time off from now…we shall see.

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